


Welcome to the NCT

by bby_youza_fool



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Death, Drugs, Drunkenness, Gang Violence, Gun Violence, M/M, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-01-20 11:54:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12432300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bby_youza_fool/pseuds/bby_youza_fool
Summary: Mark was a good kid, he really was. But now, he finds himself running aimlessly with a gun in his hand.





	1. Chapter 1

I gripped the letter in my hand, my eyes full of determination and my heart beating nervously. I straightened my school uniform blazer before opening the door to the rooftop. The autumn air hit me harshly in the face as my hair blew wildly.

 

I stuck the letter in my pocket and looking down at my new white shoes, I gave myself a determined  _ fighting!  _

 

“Minhee-ah, you’re looking pretty today,” I gushed.

“Oh, my god, no, no, that’s so cringey,” I cried, covering my face as I fell to the ground. 

 

“Mark-ah, be natural. Be cool, you got this. You’re handsome, smart, you’re a lady-killer. Have confidence!”

 

“Minhee-ah!” I tried again. Dissatisfied with it, I cleared my throat before attempting. “Minhee-ah! Kim Minhee!” 

 

“No, no, that’s not right,” I mumbled, biting my thumb. I paced back and forth, hitting the heels of my shoes on the gray pavement. 

 

“Minhee-ah, I like you.” I pushed out firmly. It sounded better than before but not as good as I hoped. 

 

I glanced at my watch. It read 12:18. “What the heck,” I mumbled, “I asked her to meet at 12:15.”

 

I pushed the hair blown into my eyes behind my ear and sighed loudly. My hands fell to my hips as I heard the rooftop door creak open. I spun around quickly on my heels to find Minhee there, looking more stunning than ever. 

 

“Minhee-ah,” I chirped, smiling growing on my face and my hands reaching for the letter. She was texting on her phone and chewing gum. She blew a bubble before looking up, her pink lipstick shining in the sunlight. “Yeah, what?”

 

I rubbed my sweaty palms together and licked my lips. “Ah, Minhee-ah, I have something for you.” I walked up to her and held out the letter, nervously waiting for her to take it. 

 

She blew another bubble and took the letter, inspecting it before asking, “What is it?”

 

“Open it.”

 

She sighed audibly, putting her phone in her pocket and opening the envelope. Her eyes scanned over the text rather quickly and before I knew it, she closed it. 

 

“No thanks.”

 

I’m sure my expression did not hide my shock at all. I opened my mouth slowly before closing it again. 

 

“Do you want this back, or?” 

 

My hurt feelings couldn’t bear to see the letter I poured my heart out into again. “Just, just throw it away.”

 

“M’kay.” She replied before spitting her gum into the letter and crumpling it up. “See you,” she called before strutting off towards the door and walking through it. The loud bang of the door closing brought me back to my thoughts.

 

“Why did I do that? Why did I do that? Why did I just…….do that?!” I screamed, punching the air. I ran my hands through my hair in an act of frustration, falling to my knees and cringing at my own self.

 

I walked around to the back of the storage shed to wallow in my own sadness alone. I sat on the ground as I thought about where I could’ve gone wrong. 

 

My navy slacks were getting dirty but I didn’t care as I cried out of my sadness. “Why did I-”

 

I was cut off at the sound of the rooftop door creaking open. I shut my mouth in fear of getting caught crying on the rooftop. Peeking around the shed, I saw three boys I’ve never seen before. They walked to the edge of the rooftop, all peering over the edge as they mumbled about something. 

 

I covered my mouth, planning to sneak out through the door but one turned around before he started talking, leaning on the edge by his forearms.

 

“I called hyung and he said we should meet today.” The one who spoke had such a distinctive hair color. It was like bright pink. His uniform was untucked and his tie undid. I looked at my own neatly did uniform in comparison. 

 

“Aw shit, T. We haven’t found him yet, and hyung said if we don’t, we’re done for!” He whined, running his hands through his head. He was the tallest of the three. 

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll just tell him that he said he didn’t have it. That’ll be his fault not ours,” the pink haired one, T, replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. “J, your light.” He said around the cigarette.

The light brown haired one, J, reached into his pocked and blindly handed T the lighter. “You should stop smoking that shit or you’ll blow out your lungs.” 

 

“Don’t worry ‘bout my lungs,” T muttered, lighting the cigarette and blowing a puff. They continued to talk and I listened intently. 

 

“But,” T began, “when we find him, I might kill him. He’s been playing with us for too long. Or, I’ll bring him to hyung, he’ll do much worse.” 

 

I wondered who this “hyung” was and why they were so hung up on finding whoever they were looking for. Regardless, I wanted to go and get out of the situation. 

 

The tallest one grumbled. “And if we don’t find him, what the hell are we gonna do? Hyung goes batshit when he’s mad.”

 

J leaned more over the edge. “Don’t worry, we’ll come up with something. Or, we can bring a sacrificial lamb.”

 

T blew another puff and turned around. “Like who?”

 

I took this as my chance to run. I slowly got up, set the door in my line of vision, and ran. Only, I tripped over the janitor's bucket and fell in their line of vision. They all looked up at me and stared, hard. 

 

“Shit,” I whispered to myself. 

 

“Who are you? Were you listening to us?” T questioned, taking his cigarette out of his mouth after blowing a puff. I stood up quickly, shaking my head vigorously. “N-no, I was just, eating my lunch.”

 

“On the rooftop?” T laughed. “Are you a loser or something?” He pushed off of the edge and started walking towards me. His friends turned around too but stayed where they were. 

 

“N-no, I just like eating up here,” I stammered as I backed up. T took note of that and motioned for his friends to come. “Don’t be scared,” he squinted at my nametag, “Lee Minhyung. We aren’t going to hurt you,” he chuckled. 

 

I gulped painfully. A crooked smile formed on my face. “I know. I’m done with my lunch so if I could just go now-”

 

“Wait,” J appeared out of nowhere and grabbed my arm. “How much did you hear?” 

 

“Nothing,” I blubbered. J scowled, looming over me. “Be fucking honest.” 

I shrank into myself, scared at what they might do in my response. “E-everything,” I whispered. 

 

The tallest one laughed, but it was more an agitated laugh. “He fucking heard it. So that must mean you know we are NCT then, huh?” 

 

The other two boys paused before cursing all the tallest. “We didn’t fucking say NCT, you idiot. I swear to god, all you have is bricks in that head,” T seethed. “Now he knows, idiot.”

 

J rubbed his head before letting out an annoyed breath. “I’m sorry, Minhyung-ah, but we have to use you.” I choked on air. “Why, for what?”

 

“Can you be our lamb? Or rather, you’re going to be our lamb.” 

 

T, who had resumed smoking again, blew out a puff and put a hand on J’s chest. “Why the kid?” 

“He knows too much, we can’t let him go now because this idiot spilled about NCT.” J sighed, gesturing towards the tallest one. 

 

“N-no, guys, please! I won’t say anything, I swear to you!” I shouted, throwing my pinky in the air. ”Please!” 

 

J seemed to think it over before he nodded his head slowly. “If I catch you even thinking about NCT, we have to take you.” 

 

I nodded quickly, hoping the beating in my chest would subside. T gave a small nod and threw his cigarette on the ground, stomping on it before hitting the tallest one on the head and walking away. J gave me one last look before shoving his hands in pocket and walking off after his friends through the rooftop door. 

 

Once I heard the door shut, the feeling of relief spread through my whole body and I fell to the ground. I felt like I was holding my breath the whole time. 

 

The wind blew my hair into my face again but I let it stay there, do shook at what happened to move. 

 

“What the fuck.”

  
  


I returned to class, still thinking about what those boys said to me and by the end of the day, that’s all I could think about. As I was walking out of class, the curiosity just took over. I said bye to my friends and walked to the bathroom. I made sure no one was in there before heading into a stall and locking the door. I nervously took out my phone and open a search engine. I typed ‘NCT.’

 

_ NCT - Neo Culture Technology _

_    NCT is a gang mostly made of males aged anywhere from 15-28. The gang was founded in 2000 by Lee Soo Man. NCT is based in Seoul, South Korea and is notorious for their open warfare, burglary, and murder. Their biggest rival is EXO, a gang based in Seoul as well.  _

 

My mouth fell open. The NCT they were talking about can’t be this NCT, can it? Are they really NCT? 

 

My hands started shaking. I tucked my phone in my pocket and unlocked the stall door. My main focus was going home and thanking God I got out of that situation. I looked in the mirror briefly before opening the bathroom. 

 

“Oof-” 

 

“Who the he- oh, Minhyung-ah.”

 

My blood ran cold. It was T’s voice. 

 

“Minhyung-ah, heading home?” He asked. Our height was about the same so I could smell the remnants of smoke on his breath. 

 

He reached up to touch my shoulder. I flinched. T obviously saw that as his face turned cold. He frowned. “You saw.” I shook my head but T grabbed my shoulder and pushed me into the bathroom, closing the door.

 

“Did we or did we not say to fucking look. We said don’t even think, what do you think that means, Minhyung? Don’t look! Do you know what this means?”

 

My whole body was practically shaking as I shook my head, a frightened look on my face. “I-I, don’t know.”

 

“You’re not supposed to know shit. You have to come with us now, it’s not a choice. You have to be the lamb.” 

 

I shook my head again. “No, I-I really won’t say anything, please!” T shook his head before dialing a number. 

 

“I got our lamb, meet me outside.”

 

He grabbed me by my arm and pulled me outside until we hit the front gate. A black car pulled up and someone opened the back door. “Don’t say anything,” T hissed before pushing me in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark officially becomes the sacrificial lamb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to keep it lighthearted in the beginning and the tags and other things will change gradually. And sorry for any typos or grammar mistakes heh.

I fell into the car, sitting up immediately as T climbed in. I had hit the person sitting in the back. And upon sitting up, I saw it was J. He was obviously surprised to see me.

 

T got in and shut the door, leaning his head against the window.  “What the hell happened, Taeyong? Why is Minhyung in here?” 

 

“He couldn’t keep his curiosity under control,” he sneered, not even looking at J. I sat stiffly in between Taeyong and J, trying not to cause any more trouble. 

 

The car started to move. 

 

“And who is this?” The driver looked into the rearview mirror and met my eyes. The one in the passenger seat, who I recognized as the tallest one from the rooftop, muttered under his breath before answering. “Some kid who stuck his nose into our business.” 

 

Taeyong kicked his seat. “Your dumb ass literally told him. Shut up, Johnny.”

 

The driver looked mad but there was a soft look when he looked back at me. “What’s your name?”

 

“M-Minhyung. Lee Minhyung.” 

 

The driver nodded as he let my name sink in. “Okay, Minhyung-ah. I’m Yuta, the idiot beside me is Johnny, the fuming pinky is Taeyong, and the brown-haired is Jaehyun. Nice to meet you.” 

 

I noticed he had an accent, and taking from his name, he was probably from Japan. I wondered how he got all the way to Korea and if he was involved in NCT.

 

“Well since you’re in the car, I’ll tell you if you can’t tell. All four of us are apart of NCT.” 

Well, that answered my question. 

 

“A-ah, yes, I see,” I stammered, crossing my feet over each other and grabbing my hands. “Lighten up,” Yuta laughed. “We won’t do anything. Or, I won’t.”

 

“Don’t scare him.” Jaehyun finally replied but it was too late, I was already scared shitless and trying not to piss myself on the black leather of seats of that car. 

 

Taeyong cursed to himself. 

 

The car rolled to a smooth stop in front of what looked like a normal house. Except, I knew it couldn’t be. “Get out,” Taeyong said harshly, climbing out the car and walking up to the door with his hands in his pocket. 

“Ignore him,” Jaehyun spoke, knocking me out of my thoughts. I quickly got out of the car and felt Yuta urge me along with a hand on my lower back. I turned to see him and saw him give me a bright, reassuring smile. 

He was handsome. 

 

I walked into the house and was immediately hit with a swirling smell of smoke, weed, and many other drugs I couldn’t even name. I coughed, swatting at the air to try to clear some of it. It was dark in the house and hot, so hot. 

 

I turned around and saw Yuta locking the door. A total of 9 locks decorated it. I followed Jaehyun through the house to what seemed like the living room. Johnny and Taeyong continued upstairs and Yuta to another room. Jaehyun sat down on the couch, but not before removing a shiny looking gun onto the coffee table first. 

 

“I-is that real?” I asked cautiously, watching as Jaehyun smiled slightly and held the gun in his hand. “Of course,” he mused. “Want to hold it?” 

 

I shook my head and slowly found my way next to him. I removed my backpack, setting it beside me, then leaning back on the couch and squeezing my knees. “So,” Jaehyun turned to me, “how old are you?” 

 

“Seventeen.” I looked at his expression. He nodded slowly. “I’m 19. Taeyong’s 19 and Johnny’s 20.” Jaehyun leaned closer and covering his mouth with his hand as if telling a secret. “He’s kind of stupid so he’s repeating a year,” he whispered, laughing. 

 

I laughed too. I could see he was trying to make me feel less scared and it was kind of working. 

 

“What are your hobbies?” I was about to answer but I was cut off at the sound of feet coming down the stairs. A small figure appeared. “Jaehyun, do you know who had the audacity to leave their- oh,” he stopped upon seeing me. “Who’s...this?” 

 

I noticed a gun in his hand, similar to that Jaehyun held earlier. The man probably saw my expression and quickly put it behind his back. “Don’t worry, it’s not loaded...I think.” 

 

I nodded slowly. The man put the gun in another room and came back. “J, who’s this? A friend from school?” He questioned upon seeing the same school uniform. He dropped into the armchair that was across from the couch, propping his feet up onto the coffee table. 

 

“Ten hyung, this is Minhyung,” Jaehyun introduced. I gave a small smile and a shy wave. The other boy leaned forward on his knees and smiled. “Hello, Minhyung. I’m Ten.” 

 

“H-hi, Ten, I’m Minhyung.” Ten chuckled at that before breathing a, “You’re so funny.” 

“But, J, why is he here? No offense to you, Minhyungie.” I waved my hands. “None was taken!”

“We...he kinda heard us talking about NCT.” Ten nodded but looked confused. “And why did you bring him here?” 

 

“He’s going to be our lamb.”  _ Shit,  _ I mentally screamed. I totally forgot about being the lamb, or whatever that meant. 

 

“Really? Your lamb for Hansol? Are you sure?” Ten’s reaction made me scared. I wasn’t sure if he was concerned for me or just curious as to  _ why me _ ? 

 

“I-it could be fine.” Jaehyun looked me over slowly before looking at Ten. “It could be fine,” he concluded.

 

“What does a lamb do?” I questioned carefully. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to know just yet. 

 

Jaehyun was going to answer before Taeyong came out of nowhere with a backpack on his shoulder and a beer in his hand. “Fight.”

 

My mouth dropped open and Jaehyun looked annoyed. “Why the hell would you say that, T?”

Taeyong shrugged, walking into the living room and dropping the backpack on the floor. “You were going to have to tell him sooner or later. And, you’re the one who suggested it anyway.” Jaehyun hummed in annoyance. “I may have suggested it but I didn’t actually bring him in. I was just trying to scare him into not telling or prying.” 

 

“Yeah, well that sure as hell didn’t work,” Taeyong yapped, taking a swig of his beer. Ten sighed. “You’re going to rot your liver if you keep drinking.” Taeyong shook his head mid-swig. “Stop worrying about my liver.” Ten just dropped his head to his hands. They all seemed to forget that I was sitting right there.

 

“Jaehyun...hyung…,” I began, not sure if the hyung was appropriate but Jaehyun gave me a slight nod. “What do you mean by fight? Like, fist fight?” Jaehyun shook his head and reach over for the gun on the coffee. “No, like, fight,” he said, holding up the gun. 

 

I stood up faster than I thought and got dizzy. I gripped the couch for support as I tried to regain balance. They all seemed worried, even Taeyong, and Jaehyun reached out to help me. He pushed me back down. 

 

“See, I knew this would be bad. The poor kid almost fainted,” Ten whined, pointing at me and glaring at the other two. Taeyong, although he looked slightly concerned, shrugged and settled back down. “Well, hyung, he knows too much. We can’t just let him go. If we know he can’t keep his own curiosity to himself, who knows if he’ll just blab to someone and get us all locked up.” 

 

“Taeyong,” Jaehyung interjected. “Stop.”

 

“Well, Jaehyun,” Taeyong stood up from his seat, “should we kill him? What do you really expect us to do?” 

 

I sat up at that, tears starting to form in my eyes. Is this was I really got myself into? Is that really how my life was meant to turn out? 

 

Ten saw me and rushed over. “Aw, no, Minhyungie, don’t cry,” he cooed as he rubbed my back. “D-don’t kill me,” I begged. 

 

Taeyong sighed heavily, setting his beer on the coffee table. “We aren’t going to kill you, Minhyung. It’s just, we can’t let you loose. Who know’s what you could do? This isn’t just about your life, this is about ours too.” 

 

I let my head droop as my tears continued to fall. I used my blazer as a tissue and wiped at my tears. Ten still rubbed my back and patted my head. 

 

Yuta walked out of his room, oblivious to what was happening and upon seeing me crying, he immediately asked what happened. Jaehyun gave a quick summary and Yuta looked apologetic. 

 

“I could call hyung,” he suggested but Taeyong shook his head. “It won’t work, I know. Hyung doesn’t change his rules for anyone. Minhyung is lucky we are taking him as a lamb, otherwise, it’d be death with no option.

 

I wasn’t sure if that was supposed to make me happy but I cried harder at that. Ten gave a small yelp of shock and rubbed my back harder. “Just stop talking, T. Just stop,” Jaehyun grunted. 

 

I cried for maybe ten minutes more. Yuta had left the room again and Ten was still rubbing my back. He kept telling me things were going to be okay and that we’d figure out another solution but after listening to what Taeyong’s words, I knew that would be damn near impossible.

 

Was my choice really between death or joining a gang? Were those really my only two options? 

 

Jaehyun sat on the couch watching me and Taeyong sighed audibly repeatedly, furiously scrolling through his phone.

 

I wiped the last of my tears, sniffing my nose and sitting up. The warmth of Ten’s left my back and I felt my shoulders get heavier rather than lighter. I looked at Jaehyun and then to Taeyong who had glanced up from his phone. 

 

“I-I’ve made my decision. I’ll be your lamb.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does Mark have what it takes, whatever that is?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blanked on this chapter a lot so I hope it turned out to you all's liking.

“Hey Minhyung!” 

I turned around at the call, seeing Jaehyun running up to me with Taeyong and Johnny strolling behind. He hooked his arm around my shoulder and stopped me. “We need to talk on the rooftop at lunch. Don’t be late,” He instructed, whispering in my ear. He released me and walked ahead with Taeyong and Johnny behind him. Johnny turned to me, tapped on his wrist three times before turning back and tucking his hands behind his head. 

I sighed. It had been three days since I told them I would be their lamb. I went home after my decision and they hadn’t spoken to me since. What could they want to tell me? Tell me about all the ‘lamb’ shit I have to do? 

I ran a hand down my face as I sighing audibly. Lunch was in about an hour and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to sit through my next period in fear of what they would have to tell me. I walked sluggishly to class and sat in my chair, dropping my head to my arms.

“Mark.” I lifted my head Jeno sitting on the desk beside me, his beach blonde hair stuck under a hat. “What’s wrong with you? Sick?” 

I shook my head, mumbled a “Don’t worry about it”, and dropped my head again. He clicked his tongue and hopped off his desk. “What’s wrong? You can tell me, I’m your best friend dude.” I only hummed at his comment and swatted in his direction. “I’ll tell you later, it’s a lot of stuff.” 

He seemed content with that answer and hopped back on his desk, proceeding to talk with the other students. Soon, the teacher walked in and class began. 

It went too fast, way too fast. 

The lunch bell rang and I unwillingly got up. Jeno called me to lunch with him but I declined as I had a forced meeting with NCT. The only thing pushing me towards the school stairs was my fear of Taeyong and Johnny. I lifted my heavy feet up each stair and I was soon at the rooftop door. 

I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I was holding and twisting the doorknob. The old door creaked open and I stepped onto the roof, the cool air hitting me in a familiar way. I saw Jaehyun and Taeyong facing away from the door while Johnny faced it. At sight of me, he hit Taeyong’s shoulder and nodded my way. Jaehyun turned too and waved me over with a tense look. 

I made my way over, bowing hello and standing a safe distance from them. Jaehyun urged me closer and I took a step but he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me closer. 

“Minhyung,” he began, “you know you’re our lamb.” I nodded, swallowing a knot in my throat and rubbing my hands on my slacks. They were just dripping sweat. 

“And as our lamb, you have responsibilities.” I cautiously nodded again. “Basically, you’re a member now.” 

Taeyong scoffed at his words. “You are taking the place of Hansol, one of our ex-members. He broke the code and ran and we need to fill that place. He was one of our best, really.” 

Johnny seemed to react at that and interrupted. “No true NCT just leaves like that, he was never one, to begin with.” Jaehyun shushed him and turned back to me, telling me to ignore him. “We are looking for him but that takes up too much time and we don’t have much of it. So, we need to find Hansol or get a lamb. That’s where you come in. We’ll teach you what you need to know, that’s not going to be hard.” 

“I don’t know if I can do this,” I croaked, shaking my head. 

“Minhyung, listen, I know you’re scared but this is the only choice. You know too much about NCT, you know we are NCT, you know other NCT members, so you either become NCT or…” 

I sighed outwardly. “When did you…” I began but Jaehyun cut me off before I could finish. “Sixteen,” he answered. Taeyong piped up with a low, “Fifteen”, and Johnny reluctantly mumbled a “Seventeen”. 

“So,” I started, “have you guys…” 

Again, Jaehyun cut me off. “Yes, but with reason. Defense.” Taeyong nodded his head in agreement and Johnny grumbled but nodded. 

“How did you know what I was going to say?” Jaehyun laughed at my question. “Because I asked the same as you when I joined. Everyone asks the same thing: Have you killed? When did you join? Does all NCT do is kill and rob people?” 

I pushed towards the last question, expecting a natural response from Jaehyun but his mouth was pushed into a tight line. Even Johnny and Taeyong shifted. 

“It’s, it’s more than that but I can’t tell you. Yet.”

I decided to be content with the answer and telling myself that for whatever reason they can’t tell, it’s probably a really good one. 

Jaehyun clapped his hands together and sighed out. “Okay,” he said, putting his hands up, “show me what you got.” 

“What?” 

Taeyong groaned, nudging Jaehyun out of the way and stood before me. “Have you fought before? At all, in any way?” His tone seemed annoyed. 

“No,” I answered slowly. I’ve never even seen a fight. Me, being the scrawny and nerdy kid that I am, I’ve had no reason to fight, ever. 

Taeyong cursed at my answer. 

“If someone hit you,” he balled his fist and tapped my left cheek with it, “hit you right here, what would you do?” I thought about his question before blurting the first logical thing I could think of. “I’d hit him back.” 

“Wrong.” 

“What? Why?” Taeyong only shook his head in annoyance. “Because if someone hits you up high, you have to go low. If someone hits you low, you stay low, take them down, and aim high.” 

The expression of confusion on my face only strengthened Taeyong’s headache. “Minhyung, if someone grabs your shoulder,” he grabbed my shoulder in time with his words, “and knocks you down,” I flinched at the push he gave that sent me to the ground, “what are you going to do?” 

“Taeyong, stop.” Jaehyun put a hand on his chest and pushed him back. “Why? I’m teaching him how to fight, he should know or he’s going to get his ass killed.” Jaehyun shook his head and stuck a hand out towards me. “Now is not the time, Minhyung is-”

“I’d wait, for what’d they do next, I mean. I’d have to watch for them before I can assess what I should do.” I ignored Jaehyun’s hand and stood up, brushing my pants off and wiping my hands on my blazer.

“Oh, really?” Taeyong stepped back, folding his arms over his chest. “And based on what they did, how you would react?” 

“I’d dodge or something if they threw a punch. If they lunged, I’d kick. If I had a gun...I’d shoot.” I hesitated at the last part. 

Johnny, who was standing there the whole time but wasn’t interested enough to speak, looked up and sighed. “Would you, would you really? You sure you hand wouldn’t shake, scared for your life? You’d really do it?” 

“Johnny,” Jaehyun began but didn’t finish his sentence but didn’t need to. Johnny just laughed in disbelief and walked towards the door. “I’m gonna get some food or go to class, find me when you’re done.” 

“He’s right, J. We don’t even know if Minhyung can do what we need him to. This is serious.” Taeyong silently sighed, patting Jaehyun on the back before walking after Johnny. He yelled a crisp, “ _ Wait up”  _ before jogging to catch up with Johnny. 

Jaehyun was left standing there, looking towards the ground with his hands in his pockets and a stressed look on his face. I couldn’t stand this silence, this tension, this disappointment. Why did it feel so big?

“Hyung, I-”

“Minhyung.” Jaehyun didn’t even look at me, he only stared at my shoes, not making a move to look up. “Are we forcing you to do too much?”

“Yes, yes you are. A lot, very much.”

“I’m sorry.”

I said what I really felt but, why did I feel as I just disappointed Jaehyun with that? 

“We shouldn’t have forced this on you.” 

I clenched my hands and shook my head. “I have to, right? For the sake of NCT.” Jaehyun looked so guilty, it hurt me. “I trust you, that you won’t tell. You don’t have to do this, really.” 

I looked up from my clenched hands

“Really?”

Jaehyun nodded slowly as if he were still making his decision as he was answering. “Yeah. Sorry about all of this. I’ll go, uh, tell the boys we aren’t using you. I’ll see you around then, I guess.” And with that, he waved me a small goodbye and ran off to the door, opening it with a creak and closing it with a thud. 

I didn’t move, I didn’t even wave goodbye to him before he ran off. I guess that was the end of my journey with NCT. I’m free. So why did my shoulders still feel heavy as I trudged to the rooftop door?

As I got to the last step, the hour bell rang and students started filing into the hallways. I maneuvered my way to class, plopping down in my seat and dropping my head to my arms. 

Jeno arrived in the classroom, going to sit in his seat but not before poking my ear. “Weren’t you like this earlier? What’s wrong dude?” I didn’t answer nor did I really listen. Jeno must have picked that up as he muttered a soft, “you said later”, and took to his own seat.

For the entirety of the class, I stayed with my head in my hands. I didn’t even know how to feel about my NCT situation, whether to be relieved or guilty. Thankful or regretful. Happy or...sad.

The bell rings and Jeno punches my shoulder, yelling a rough, “Get up!”, and laughing at my reaction. I rose my head slowly, my eyes adjusting to the sunlight coming through the window and a yawn erupting from my chest. “Class is over?” 

“Uh, yes. And you slept through, like, all of it. What’s wrong with you?” Jeno waited for an answer, poking out his neck when I didn’t give him one. “Tomorrow. Really, I’ll tell you tomorrow. I just want to go home and sleep, I am so tired.” 

Jeno scoffed. “Yeah, right. You won’t ever tell me but, I’ll find out, trust me, Mark Lee!” 

I only gave him a small smile, barely acknowledging his antics as he said goodbye and walked out of the door. I gathered my backpack, not anticipating the long walk I had home, and made my way out of the door. With cement-like steps, I made my way out of the front entrance of the school and walked across the long yard to the gate.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, I sighed, hiking up my backpack higher onto my shoulder, and-

“Shit!” 

I jerked my head around, attempting to find the source of the voice that sounded strangely like Taeyong’s. 

“Johnny, fucking  _ go _ !” 

I moved my head in the other direction that sounded like Jaehyun’s but close. “What the hell…?”

At that moment, I saw Johnny, Jaehyun, and Taeyong across the street,  _ sprinting.  _ Before I can even wonder what’s happening, I see four guys running after them. Without thinking, I found myself speedily crossing the street and heading in the direction they all ran. My feet naturally picked up and I was son sprinting down the sidewalk, dodging people and yelling sorry as I did. 

I hit the last corner I saw them go down, skidding to a halt and tripping in front of an alleyway. 

Pulling my head up, I breathed a low, 

“Holy shit.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not mad at Hansol, I swear, he just best fits the character I'm going for. But, I hope you enjoyed this chapter hehh.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scene in the alleyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to erase all the chapter names because they're stupid and it's annoying me how stupid they sound. And a fairly mild depiction of violence ahead and a hint of death. Enjoy~

“Holy shit.”

 

My eyes dilated at the scene unfolding and I choked on air. Taeyong lay on the pavement, his backpack being squished between himself and the concrete, and his hands pushing up at the figure above - a figure who had a hand around his neck and a gun to his head. 

 

Taeyong let out strangled yells, using all his strength to push the other off of him, but it was clearly not enough.The figure softly chuckled and sighed in content. Neither had noticed me yet.

 

“You really thought that you and your little friends would get away with that? You really thought you could steal from us and not expect consequences? Well, you are still a high school student, I couldn’t expect you to know better.” He pushed the gun harder onto his head.

 

The figure’s voice was deep and kind of raspy.  I tried to look at his face but it was covered entirely by a black mask and hood. 

 

Taeyong did his best to laugh around the hand on his neck and hide the pained expression on his face. In a strained voice, he breathed out, “You’re c-crazy if you thought...w-we didn’t have a plan…”

 

He struggled to push out those last words, his face turning redder with each syllable. He gasped when the man gripped harder. Taeyong was only left to hit at the man’s hands and desperately attempt to pry them off. 

 

“Well, I guess your plan won’t be able to happen now.” He sighed. “I’m kind of sad, really. I hate having to kill them so young. But please, be a good boy and don’t make too much-”

 

I landed with a grunt, the figure’s body feeling rough beneath me, and my arms wrapped around his torso. I heard Taeyong coughing beyond me before sputtering out a confused and scared, “M-Minhyung?!” 

 

The figure easily bested me and pushed me off, causing me to fall backward onto the pavement. I heard Taeyong’s quick footsteps run closer to me and another grunt ricocheted off the alley walls. I got to my feet quickly and ran to Taeyong. He held the guy underneath him, punches flying everywhere. After a few and the man responses became slower, Taeyong gave me a rough, “the gun,” before throwing more. 

 

I searched emergently for the gun and finally spotted it perched against the wall. I picked up the firearm, fully taking in the feel and weight before handing it to Taeyong. He snatched it from my hands, cocked it and aimed it at the figure’s head. 

 

“Go.” 

When I didn’t move, he growled lowly. “I won’t say it again,” he warned, “fucking go, now!” 

 

And with that, I ran to my backpack and picked it up, running in the opposite direction I came from. I kept running and running until I heard the gun go off. My feet stopped immediately when I flinched at the sound. I stood still in shock, eyes shut closed and my shoulders tensed. 

 

The cold wind flew past and it brought with it a hand that pulled me forward. Taeyong gripped my hand and took off, pulling me along with him. We hit a corner and ran towards the main road, dodging people and being too focused on running to excuse ourselves. 

 

We turned another corner, this one slightly more secluded than the main road and stopped in front of a shop. Taeyong breathed hard and I leaned on my hands which rested on my knees, coughing my lungs out. 

 

Once he caught his breath, he turned me by my shoulders. “Are you okay?!” The look of concern was clearly evident this time. 

 

I cleared my throat before answering, trying to swallow in order to moisten my dry mouth. “I’m fine. I’m fine.” 

 

At my answer, he dropped his hands and sighed deeply. He ran a hand over his face. “How did you find me?” 

 

“I saw you, Johnny, and Jaehyun-” As I said that, I remembered the other two. “Wait, where’s Johnny and Jaehyun? Are they safe too?!” 

 

Taeyong scrunched his nose as if my yells were too loud and nodded his head. “They ran away from them but I got caught. It’s just...I was just being stupid. But, anyway, what were you saying? “

 

I told him about how I saw them running, me following them, and me seeing Taeyong.

 

“So, you…”

 

“Yeah,” he answered. I nodded slowly before thinking back to the gun. “Wait, you didn’t leave it, did you?” 

 

Taeyong stuck his neck forward as if I was asking the dumbest question on Earth. He swung his backpack to the front of him and opening it slightly, showing me the shiny gun that sat in the middle of his backpack. “I’m not new to this, Minhyung.”

 

He slung his backpack back onto his back and started walking forward. I caught up with him and we walked in silence until we reached a house - a house I recognized as the one Yuta drove us to. 

 

We walked up to the door and Taeyong took out a keychain of keys from his pocket, proceeding to unlock every lock. He pocketed them and opened the door, the familiar smell of drugs filled my nostrils and I blinked away tears at the musty smell.

 

We turned a corner to the living room where we found Jaehyun and Johnny sitting on the couch along with Ten and a new face in the chairs across from it. 

 

They all jumped up at the sight of us and Jaehyun immediately ran to Taeyong, gripping him in a tight hug. Johnny sighed a deep sigh of relief and fell back onto the couch. Ten ran over and waited until Jaehyun let go to inspect him. Once he saw the bruised hand mark on his neck, he immediately demanded what happened and why he was so reckless. The new face only sat back in his seat, shaking his leg and holding an expression as if he was mad and happy at the same time. 

 

Taeyong told the story all the way up until I tackled the guy off of him. Ten questioned why he stopped and how he got away. Taeyong paused before stepping to the side and pointing at me. “Minhyung saved me.” 

 

All of their eyes zoomed in on me and I backed away from their stares. Johnny was the first to speak. 

 

“Really? Are you serious, you’re not fucking around?”

 

Taeyong shook his hand, setting his backpack down and walking behind me to put his hands on my shoulders. “Minhyung saved me. Really, I’m serious.” 

 

“Well, are you gonna tell us exactly what he did?” 

 

“He tackled the guy, my eyes were literally rolling to the back of my head but he came just in time.” Taeyong reached up to rub the bruises on his neck, flinching slightly at the tenderness. “If he didn’t, I don’t know if I-”

 

We all heard a door slam and our attention turned towards the direction it came from. Taeyong mumbled a low, “shit”, and ran off in the direction of the room. Ten looked at my expression and came to my side. “Don’t worry about it, it’s just Taeil. He gets fucking jittery whenever Taeyong gets close calls like this. He’ll be fine and then maybe you can meet him later?” 

 

I nodded my head in agreement as Jaehyun and Johnny came over. Johnny started first, sticking his hands in his pocket and looking at the ground. “Thanks, Minhyung. I mean, I know I was being a jerk but really, thanks. I really thought we left him for...yeah. Taeil was going to have our head when we told him. But, thanks, again.”

 

His awkward thanks was well received and I gave him a small smile in return. He headed up the stairs and Jaehyun took his place. 

 

“What happened, how did you find Taeyong?” 

 

“I saw you guys running from those guys and I couldn’t help but follow you. I lost you and Johnny but I found Taeyong.”

 

“What happened to the guy?”

 

“Taeyong shot him.” Jaehyun didn’t respond. A wave of relief washed over him and I assumed that was his response. 

 

“But, can you tell me who those guys were and why they were chasing you?” Jaehyun said okay, heading to the couch and patting beside him. Ten too sat down in his chair to hear what happened. 

 

“So those guys, they are apart of another gang. We just did some stupid shit and pissed them off, tried to steal some money and a gun or two.” Across from us, Ten only shook his head in disgust. 

 

“Are you guys really that childish?” Jaehyun scoffed at that comment. “Well won’t you be surprised when you hear that it was your little boyfriend’s idea.” Ten’s mouth dropped open at that and he practically leaped out of his chair, running up the stairs as he screamed Johnny’s name. 

 

“Oh,” I commented, surprised, “they’re dating?” Johnny nodded his head. “Yeah, Taeyong and Taeil too.” 

 

“Oh.” 

 

“That doesn’t make you-”

 

I shook my hands and head in my time with each other. “No, no, of course not. No way.” 

 

“Okay. I’ll finish the story. So we tried to steal a gun, it was really nice, I’ll be honest with you. But, we got caught of course but we escaped them. I guess they remembered our faces because as we were heading home, they came out of nowhere. Chased us right down the street. We turned a corner, I was stupid and said to split up. Johnny and I went one way while Taeyong went the other. It’s so stupid…” He paused, clenching his fist and holding a look of anger. 

 

I touched his arm, telling him that at least Taeyong is safe. Jaehyun closed his eyes, humming in agreement and then moving to finish the story. 

 

“So we split up but as soon as we do, I heard Taeyong get caught. I turned and saw the guy pull him into the alley. Johnny told me we should go help but I told him it was too dangerous for all three of us. It’d be 3 against 4 at that rate. No way. So we kept going and we outran the other three. I didn’t know where they went but not until we got back here did I consider that they could’ve gone to the other guy and Taeyong. I’m so relieved that wasn’t the case. I’m so glad you were there, Minhyung.” 

 

I only shook my head and patted his hand. “Was I supposed to just watch?” I mentally punched myself because I was too scared to move at first. 

 

“Thank you so much.” 

 

Jaehyun pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. It was 6 pm. He rose to his feet and pocketed his phone. “Are you leaving soon? I don’t want to have to get you more involved in this mess. I know it makes you uncomfortable.” 

 

He started walking out of the room but my call stopped him. He turned around with a, “hm”, and leaned against the frame. 

 

Sigh.

 

“Do you think...I could still be a lamb?” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Mark becomes a lamb again?? I hoped you liked this chapter and I'll try to get them out as fast as I can. Please wait for the next chapter !


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I haven't updated in a long time. School is really beating me up. But please, enjoy this chapter. This is just a filler.

“You...want to be a lamb?” Jaehyun hands floated around in the hair, confused at my announcement. “W-why?” 

 

I shrugged and slumped against the couch, my backpack being squished between my back and the cushions. “I don’t know...I just think I should? I mean, I want to. After what almost happened to Taeyong, I don’t think I could just go out knowing that that could happen. And, plus, what if they saw me anyway? I want to at least be prepared.”

 

Jaehyun still seemed confused, his eyebrows raised and his mouth in a tight line. “Minhyung-”

 

“And,” I interrupted him, “call me Mark. Only my parents call me Minhyung.” 

 

Jaehyun paused before nodding his head and continuing from where I had cut him off. “Mark, you don’t have to. It’s really not-”

 

“I want to.”

 

“Mark, it’s not that-”

 

“I need to, hyung.”

 

“What’s this?” Yuta strolled into the room, a half-eaten bagel on a paper plate that he held in his hand. “Minhyung needs to what?” 

 

“It’s Mark,” Jaehyun corrected. Yuta made an O shape with his mouth, lifting up the bagel to take a bite out if it. “Mark said he wants to be a lamb.” 

 

Yuta paused, he stopped chewing on his bagel and only stared at Jaehyun who gave a knowing look at his confused expression. “A lamb,” he choked out around the bagel in his mouth, turning to me, “I thought you didn’t want to?” 

 

I sighed slowly, letting my hands fall between my thighs as I squeezed them. “I think I should. I want to be of better help next time.” Yuta swallowed his bagel and put the plate down on the island that was near him. “There might not be the next time. You don’t have to do this.”

 

“Why don’t you guys want me as a lamb anymore? In the beginning, when I didn’t want to, against my will, you made me a lamb. Now that I want to, you don’t want me? How does that work? I saved Taeyong!” 

 

“You said you didn’t want to and now you do because you probably could’ve died? How does  _ that _ work?” Jaehyun harshly responded. Yuta seemed confused about the Taeyong part but if he was, he didn’t say anything of it. 

 

“Why do you want to this? This isn’t just something you can walk into. You need to know what-”

 

“I do,” I yelled, startling Yuta and Jaehyun, “I know what it is because I just witnessed it! I want to be your lamb because if I wasn’t there, where would Taeyong be? I can’t help it now, hyung. When I saw you guys being chased, without even thinking, I went to help you. Because I know what you guys do and what you go through, how can I just live and ignore it, knowing that you guys could be getting killed? Call me corny but I feel close to you now. I’m not just going to walk away.” 

 

Johnny came down the stairs as I finished talking. He had changed from his uniform into a pair of shorts and a tank top. He stepped onto the floor with a thud and gave an annoyed look us all. “Let him join if he’s going to keep whining about it.” 

 

“Johnny,” Yuta barked, “are you really going to-”

 

“Yes. Let him join.” Johnny turned to me and jerked his head towards the door. “It’s getting late, I’ll take you home. Yuta hyung, the keys.” 

 

He made his way towards the door and started unlocking the locks. “Hyung, the keys,” he reiterated. “Minhyung, come on.” He opened the door as I got up, waving goodbye to Jaehyun and Yuta who both looked annoyed. “Hyung,” Johnny boomed, “are you not going to give me the keys? Are you really going to act like that? You can’t be so protective all of the time. Shit happens, for goodness sake.”

 

I could see Yuta’s face twitch at Johnny’s words. Jaehyun leaned off of the wall and walked into the kitchen, grabbing the keys off of the counter and throwing them to Johnny. “Go and come back safely,” he muttered, turning to go down a hallway. 

 

I walked out of the house, stepping into the chilly air and making my way down the stairs. I heard Johnny locking the door, the keys jingling as he moved, and him following me down the stairs. He unlocked the car and climbed in. I did the same and got myself situated. He motioned to the GPS in the car for me to put my address in. I sat back once I did, moving to take off my backpack and put it at my feet. Johnny started the car, pulling into the street and rolling down the road. 

 

We rode in silence, a stiff silence before Johnny cleared his throat. “Sorry, uh, about that little argument or whatever. They can just be really protective sometimes.” 

 

I nodded my head, telling Johnny it was okay and that things happen. He responded to me with a hum. 

 

“Thanks about Taeyong. I know I keep saying thanks but really, I really mean it.” I shook my hands in time with my head. “No really, it was nothing. What was I supposed to do? Watch?” 

 

“Some people do.” 

 

“What?”

 

“I said, some people do. Watch, I mean.” 

 

I paused at Johnny’s comment. Confused as to what he meant by watching. If his context behind watch was the same context behind mine. If we were talking about a similar situation or him just speaking in general. If he meant that he watched or someone else. 

 

“We have a member, Jaemin. He’s, uh, your age, about. He was really good about what he did, very fast too. I mean he’s young so of course, he’d be fast.” Johnny paused as he was talking. He looked straight ahead as if something was in front of it but it was only the road. I wondered if he stopped because he didn’t want to finish or if he couldn’t. I was about to ignore what he said until he continued suddenly, catching me off guard. 

 

“He wasn’t helped. I don’t know what that bastard thought he was doing, I don’t know what the hell was going through his mind, why the hell he didn’t help Jaemin. Oh-” Johnny laughed in the middle, “I forgot I said he is a member. I really don’t know now. I don’t know where he is or what he is doing.”

 

“Did he…” 

 

“No, no. He didn’t, thank God. If he didn’t, I could’ve… He didn’t die.” Johnny seemed to grip the steering wheel a little hard and push the gas a bit more. The lights from the various buildings seemed to get blurrier and blurrier as we sped along. Johnny leaned his elbow on the window and leaned his head against it. He let out a silent breath as he began to continue his words. 

 

“It was kind of similar to what Taeyong did, and similar to what Jaehyung and I did. I don’t know why I trusted him for even one second. I ran because I knew they could get away. Or I thought they could. They would have.” Johnny rambled like this for a moment before apologizing for losing his track of thought. 

 

“Jaemin and he ran. The dude was just chasing them and Jaemin fell,” Johnny laughed slowly at the thought, “Jaemin really fell, right there. The bastard fucking dragged him. Jaemin couldn’t do anything. Dragged him behind a wall and just beat the shit out of him.”

 

“The guy who was with him, what did he do?” 

 

“Didn’t you hear me since the beginning? He watched. Well, he left. Didn’t help or anything. Had the nerve to come back too, say that Jaemin was a little kid and that it didn’t matter if he was beaten or killed.”

 

“You’re kidding,” I gasped in disbelief. Would someone really just leave like that? I couldn’t even wrap my head around what Johnny was saying. It didn’t even make sense. My whole heart was aching for Jaemin.

 

“I told you already,” Johnny almost rolled his eyes. “But yeah, the dude beat the shit out of Jaemin. Probably could have killed him. Just lucky he didn’t have a detrimental weapon. He had a knife.”

 

“Oh my god,” I sighed, letting my head hit the window. 

 

“I guess I don’t have to say,” Johnny concluded. We rolled up to a traffic light and he leaned back, taking his hands off of the steering wall to rub his face. “When he came back to the house, the first thing I asked was where Jaemin was. He said that Jaemin was caught because he couldn’t keep up and that whatever happened to him happened. He said we shouldn’t worry about. Obviously, we were all pissed off. Enraged. Yuta beat the shit out of him, wiped the smirk right off of his face. I was going to but he beat me to it.” 

 

The light turned green and we were off again, speeding down the road. 

 

“Because I was the one who left them, I took them to where we were. He was a mess and barely conscious. He had like 6 broken bones, stab wounds in his legs, it was terrible. When we found him, it was me, Taeyong, Yuta, Taeil, and Doyoung.” 

 

“I don’t mean to interrupt but who’s Doyoung? Is he a member?” 

 

Johnny nodded. “He’s like our doctor. He was certified too but some things happened and well, he ended up with NCT. If we go to the hospital, they would ask so many questions that we don’t know how to answer.”

 

“Did you guys go? To the hospital? Jaemin’s injuries were serious.” 

 

“Of course,” Johnny reassured. “If we didn’t, he really would have died. We don’t know who did it so we just said it was some neighborhood kids and that we didn’t want to press charges. The doctors looked at us like we were crazy.”

 

“How could you have done that though? What about Jaemin’s parents?” 

Johnny chuckled slightly. “None of us really have parents. I mean if you count parents who never calls their child or acknowledges them as their own children or abusers, then yeah we don’t have parents. Taeil is all of our registered guardians.”

 

“Oh,” I breathed out. “I have parents but not here.” Johnny hummed in confusion at my statement. “I came from Canada, by myself. I live alone.” 

 

“Why didn’t you say anything,” he asked in English, smiling at my reaction. “You speak English?” I blurted. He laughed again. “My name is Johnny.” 

 

I laughed with him. “I didn’t even realize. Call me Mark, by the way. ” He smiled at my response, turning for a moment to look at me before turning back to the road. “I don’t mean to scare you with Jaemin’s story, I just want to let you know that I really appreciate what you did. We are all a family, literally. We don’t put up with that. To be honest with you, when we called you a lamb before, we weren’t really going to make you a lamb. It was just to scare you. But, we could really use you. Yuta and Jaehyun are just scared that you’d end up like Jaemin but I’m telling you, the team we have right is not like that. I promise you.”

 

“I really appreciate it, hyung.”

 

“Oh? Hyung, hm?” I nodded happily. “Thank you for opening up to me.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. It’s fine.” As Johnny said that, we pulled up to my apartment building. I said goodbye to Johnny, sliding out my seat and closing the door. I walking towards the front doors when I saw Johnny’s reflection behind me. I jumped at his figure, holding my chest and heaving deep breaths. 

 

“Why did you get out?” I asked, startled. 

 

“When is your lease up?” 

 

“Um, I think next month or something, why?”

 

“Great,” he replied, pushing past me and through the doors to the elevators. I ran to catch up with him. “Why are you asking?”  

 

The elevator door opened and we stepped in 

 

“Move in with us.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter as I introduced 2 new characters, Doyoung and Jaemin~ I'll try to update soon. Thank you for reading.


End file.
